Journal

In the short term, issues of humanitarian relief are critical, but in the long term the deals that are made between local actors and the two larger players.

The unrelenting tempo of combat operations at the Corps and below level in the Army creates unique challenges for the execution of Offensive Cyber Operations.

For naval intelligence to effectively support the Chief of Naval Operation’s new strategy, it must first adapt to the realities of the digital information age.

Named Operation Euphrates Shield, this ongoing Turkish military operation demonstrates the continued relevance of land power for achieving strategic objectives.

Love or hate the Centre of Gravity concept, it is here to stay.

A diverse set of policies is needed to unify a diverse set of peoples against a diverse set of threats - NATO should reorganize itself.

Both of us served in Kunduz from 2011-12, at a time when it seemed as though the province would continue on a trajectory of increasing stability.

Like any other organization, NATO has made mistakes. What is crucial is that the Alliance recognizes what went wrong and why, thus preventing these same mistakes in the future.

NATO must adopt hybrid models of national defense, coordinate efforts on economic and electronic warfare, and secure its space-based infrastructure.

There are multiple reasons for the surprise outcome, but largely missing from the discussion is the fact that the FARC is perhaps the most reviled insurgency that ever arose in Latin America.

Despite its centrality to the contemporary way of war, the days of joint operations are numbered.

European Union ambitions for a military force distinct from NATO are absurd. The list of challenges to forming such a force are legion.

Capturing the buildings of Mosul are secondary to conducting the battle in a way that secures the greater key to stability - the loyalty and support of the population of Mosul.

The five cases examined in this study show that a long-term solution must be aimed at preventing self-radicalization in the first place.

Transitions to democracy following forced regime change via military intervention require a last military dictator.

This paper discusses how Mexican cartel tunnels have evolved during the last five years while addressing specific uses.

This monograph uses the backdrop of Fehrenbach’s classic to investigate how militaries build preparedness, primarily among their infantry ranks.

Excerpted from "The Embassy: A Story of War and Diplomacy" © 2016 by Dante Paradiso, to be published by Beaufort Books (New York).

This paper explores how the similarities between covert action and UW activities have led to a negative perception of UW and lengthy delays in its use.

How many troops are needed to defeat an insurgency? This deceptively innocuous question is laden with political and military peril. The answer is, of course, that it depends.

Iran is destined to remain a “victim” because its leaders have determined it is in their best interest to do so. 

One must ask why Civil Affairs specialists, the purported experts of the civilian domain are so ill-trained and equipped to reconnoiter the civil space?

Continue on for all the details.

Many political analysts and historians referred to the war as one for independence or as a civil war. This characterization is incomplete and contributes to numerous misconceptions about the conflict.

Hacking for Defense is a battle-tested problem-solving methodology that runs at Silicon Valley speed. We just held our first Hacking for Defense Educators Class with 75 attendees.

The best way to defeat terrorism motivation rooted in religious convictions is not through a continuation of government-sponsored, Madison-Avenue-style advertising and PSYOP.

Galula was a self-made man in various aspects; born into a relatively modest environment, he rose to positions where no one expected him to.

This paper explores current recruiting practices, its shortfalls, and offers solutions tied to a thorough job analysis and restructured recruiting strategy.

Islamic extremist ideology has become a pandemic super-infection resistant to current counter-ideological methodologies.

A red team assessment of Syrian prospects for counterinsurgency written in December of 2015. It is a blueprint for Syrian military, economic, and political success in the coming years.

This monograph is a revision of a paper submitted for consideration during the 2008 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College historical writing competition for CGSC Course 08-01.

Mad Scientist # 20: The demand for cybersecurity professionals is exceeding the number available, and some estimate that more than 200,000 positions are currently unfilled.

Mad Scientist # 19: We are losing the cyberwar because cyber defenses apply the wrong philosophy to the wrong operating environment.

Mad Scientist # 18: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for strategic broadening and policy education for mid-career Cyberspace leaders.

An Empirical look at drivers of terrorism, ventures to determine whether Abadie’s findings in “Poverty, Political Freedom, and the Roots of Terrorism” remain true after ten years.

This essay explores one of the key and most underemphasized components of building successful fighting power, namely the moral component.

Though the training scenario was an imperfect reflection of a real-world UW mission, our success could be replicated in other environments by any ODA.

Continue on for a Small Wars Journal-El Centro update and call for papers.

El Salvador’s Attorney General is concerned that the maras, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) in particular, are developing armed commando battalions that are designed to confront the state.

Mad Scientist # 17: The Army is allocating proportional resources to the cyber domain as it is to the success or failure of key weapon systems.

Mad Scientist # 16: The US Army is moving to field the next generation of cyber warfighters, and the need to identify, train, and develop these cyber professionals is becoming increasingly critical.

The US can enable novel gains in the information environment by collecting on, operating in, and collaborating through indigenously produced economic media.

While many of the Army’s great leaders have blossomed on the battlefield without systematic development, there are doctrinal references that define leader development processes.

A UN departure could cause more than just trouble in terms of quelling rebels. The 20,000 peacekeepers are now a backbone of the nation’s struggling economy.

Small Wars Journal interview with Karsten Friis, Senior Adviser and Head of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs’ Research Group on Security and Defense.

This article uses the C-UAS problem set as a case study to highlight some of the challenges the Army faces responding to the increased use of innovative technologies by our adversaries.

An often-overlooked part of the conflict in Southeast Asia, the formation of and lessons learned by the MRF can serve as the groundwork of a future joint riverine force.

As weapons platforms become increasingly digital, the risk from electronic interference becomes increasingly troublesome—including hacking, jamming, and even hijacking of remote platforms.

The war saw the engagement of South African, Namibian, Angolan, Cuban, Soviet, Chinese and even American forces in an array of operations and offensives.

This article addresses Psychological Operations Measures of Effectiveness pitfalls and fixing the measurement and reporting problems.